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immunity legal definition
noun
- An exemption from a duty or penalty.
- A permanent status, as for a diplomat, exempting one from being sued or prosecuted for certain actions.
- A special status, granted by a prosecutor, exempting a witness from being prosecuted for the acts to which he or she testifies.
sovereign immunity
The doctrine (subject to certain exceptions) that a government
may not be sued in its own courts or in courts of another nation or level of
government; many limitations on this doctrine apply and vary from state to
state. Sometimes referred to as governmental immunity.
transactional immunity
A grant of immunity to a witness by a prosecutor that exempts
the witness from being prosecuted for the acts about which the witness will
testify.
use immunity
A grant of immunity to a witness by a prosecutor, under which
the prosecutor promises not to use the witnessÂ’ testimony against him or her,
but reserves the right to prosecute the witness for the underlying action.
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